First major league game

[Rockhound]

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and hopefully in 2007 I will attending my first major league game. I'd like to go see some of the old teams play like the Tigers, Reds, Yankees, or White Sox, but I'm gonna be traveling locally. So, of the following teams, which should I see a home game at? Which will I get more bang for my buck? Which will I not regret?

Houston Astros
Texas Rangers
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks

Here in Albuquerque, we have a triple-A team called the Isotopes (Marlins affiliate) and many say that their games are pretty darn close to being a lot like the major leaguers. But that's not enough for me. I want to actually be in one of these huge stadiums that I so often read about. I know it won't feel like being at a world series game, but I'll take what I can get. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Future:Greatest2BofAll-Time]

Diamondbacks- Well since Its your first MLB Game. DO NOT COME TO ARIZONA! This place is BADD! (With 2 D`s) This place has no passion for Baseball.

[HDH]

Go to all of them then, you tell us. My experience is Arlington is a "must go" as is Miller Park in Milwaukee. Try to get to Yankee stadium before it closes.

[Jose Reyes]

Diamondbacks- Well since Its your first MLB Game. DO NOT COME TO ARIZONA! This place is BADD! (With 2 D`s) This place has no passion for Baseball.

I've never been there, but c'mon they have a pool! How bad could it be? :dance

[bailiff]

I would try to get to Arlington and Houston. Try to attend a game at Minute Maid when the Cubs play. It will be an expierence that you won't soon forget. I personally think Minute Maid park is great. It's a bandbox, but that's what makes it fun. When they open the roof, and you get a good view of downtown is neat as well.
If you go to Arlington, I suggest going as early in the season as possible. As much as I love baseball, I am not a fan of it being 101 degrees at 9 pm. Make sure you visit the legends of the game museum before the game. It's actually quite good. If you have a couple of extra days I suggest also making a trip to Frisco to see the Rangers AA team. I have season tickets here. We pack 10,000 fans in almost every night, and in my opinion you won't find a better AA stadium. (I have been to 17 different AA stadiums).

[RuthMayBond]

If you're going to Coors, they already have tix on sale :eek:
Might want to go to a NL game, you could see the world champion Cards

[Rockhound]

Well, I've looked into the four fields that I suggested. After doing some research, I have narrowed it down to Colorado Rockies or Texas Rangers. The reasons why I eliminated the other two are becasue they both have retractable roofs which I feel are distractions. And, the park in Pheonix has a swimming pool. Pools have no place in a baseball park. I think it's rediculous that people go to a baseball game to soak in a pool!!!!! Anyways, I'll probably end up going to Denver for my first MLB game. I hear that it's very hot, humid, and muggy in Arlington in June. But I can still take some convincing.

[catcher24]

Go to Coors. Maybe catch the Cards, or your team's parent team, the Marlins. And if the game turns out to be dud (no game is a dud though, come to think of it), the scenery is fantastic.

[Dodgerfan1]

Well, I've looked into the four fields that I suggested. After doing some research, I have narrowed it down to Colorado Rockies or Texas Rangers. The reasons why I eliminated the other two are becasue they both have retractable roofs which I feel are distractions. And, the park in Pheonix has a swimming pool. Pools have no place in a baseball park. I think it's rediculous that people go to a baseball game to soak in a pool!!!!! Anyways, I'll probably end up going to Denver for my first MLB game. I hear that it's very hot, humid, and muggy in Arlington in June. But I can still take some convincing.

Rockhound, like it or not, ballpark distractions, as you call them, are here to stay, in all likelihood. Even though baseball is doing well attendance-wise, it's popularity as a spectator sport, at least as far as the average person is concerned, has taken quite a hit over the past twenty years or so. The television ratings have fallen sharply, given the attention span of the average young person nowadays. It's just too SLOW for most people today. When television began grabbing the attention of kids by throwing images at them every half-second (see commercials and music videos), with cameras pulling in and out, back and forth and changing angles in the blink of an eye, kids became mesmerized by the seeming flurry of activity and their eyes are glued to the screen. I know that when my daughter was very young, it became difficult for her mind to focus on any image on the screen that was actually STILL for more than a few seconds, and the remote control has made it easy to go fishing for something a bit more fast-paced. She was used to seeing the modern practice of instant image-changing, and if a camera was actually focused on one thing for a few seconds at a time, she considered it boring.

Baseball just can't compete with the faster pace of basketball and football in that regard. Most people have acknowledged that it is no longer the American pastime. I find that almost blasphemous, but then, I'm biased toward baseball.

Anyway, this diatribe goes to the point I started to make to your comment about all the ballpark distractions, such as retractable roofs and swimming pools, which have no place in a baseball park. I tend to agree, however I suppose it's the same theory as in business when discussing what the market will bear. If it gets young people to shell out the price of a ticket, that's the bottom line. Fill those stands. It's more of an overall family experience nowadays rather than simply going to watch a baseball game. Kiddie rides, playgrounds, arcades, pools, fancy sit-down restaurants, etc. If you come to the ballpark solely to enjoy the game, nothing is stopping you from doing so and I don't believe those are distractions at all, but that seems to be the prototype for the modern ballpark and they're here to stay. Distractions are welcomed by owners whose fan base doesn't have the patience to sit through a game many people consider too slow.

Sorry for the long post!!

[spiderico]

Regarding distractions and fans with no passion...

I flew into Arizona from NY for game 6 and 7 of the 2001 WS. This is something I actually overheard from a "fan" a few rows behind me during game 7, while the game was still tied:

"I hope they're going to be selling those championship t-shirts right after the game if we win. I'm going to go wait on line during the 9th innng if we're winning."

[Brian McKenna]

Go to spring training in Arizona. Lots of bang for the buck. Many teams located close together.

[drtybUsch025]

I would go see the Rangers play. I may just be saying this because I have no care for any of the other teams!

[wrigleybum]

Regardless of where you go, you should go to an important game/rivalry game so you can get the best atmosphere.

[riverfrontier]

Hey'ya, Rockhound. My best bets on ballparks were wherever the hell my parents took me. Funny. We kids sometimes had no say whatsoever. "Please don't take us to Metroplolitan Stadium! The Twins suck. County Stadium is where we want to be." My advice for you would be to see whichever team has the coolest alternate jersey, then go see them on the weekend. Reminder: Purple and teal are on the way out. It's a new age. Yeah.

[bluezebra]

I've never been there, but c'mon they have a pool! How bad could it be? :dance

And don't forget the nubile young women in bikinis who frolic in the pool.

Bob

[catcher24]

And don't forget the nubile young women in bikinis who frolic in the pool.

Okay, let's keep this a family webiste!;)

[PiratesFan]

Diamondbacks- Well since Its your first MLB Game. DO NOT COME TO ARIZONA! This place is BADD! (With 2 D`s) This place has no passion for Baseball.

I'll second that. Baseball in Phoenix is more like a day at the waterpark for most of the people there. It's totally dead 90% of the time and the 10% there is a buzz it's pathetic when compared to cities like New York and St Louis.

[TheJourneyman]

My take on the Rockies and Rangers.

Colorado - Stadium is great. Atmosphere around park is fun since its downtown. Catch a game then catch a brew and a bite to eat at a nearby microbrewry (even if you don't drink these are great places to grab a bite). If you want to try a beer, come ahead of time and go to Sandlot Brewery (this is where Blue Moon started). You'll have a great view of the mountains. Overall its a great time. Be sure to try some Rocky Mountain Oysters while at the game, just don't ask what they are. :)

Texas - The Ballpark (as it will always be known to me) is a great place to catch a game. Grab some Tex-Mex and a Shiner Bock at the game. They have a nice museum here as well that is worth it if you have the time. Rawlings (the old Friday's Front Row) is a cool place to have lunch before the game or even grab something afterward. I wouldn't recommend coming in the dead of summer if you can avoid it. On your way here, be sure to stop at the Big Texan (www.bigtexan.com) and have a steak.

Spent 3 years in Denver and have lived in Dallas for over 6 so if you have questions about either PM me. I'd be glad to help you out. Either way you are going to have a great time as both parks are great places to watch a game. Enjoy your trip.